One hour ago, the Miami Heat did not have a single center on its roster. Now it has two.

Joel Anthony and Dexter Pittman have each signed contracts.

The soon-to-be 28-year-old Anthony has accepted a five-year, $18.25 million deal.

Joel will add value to the organization as a defensive and shot-blocking specialist. But the deal feels a bit too rich, and far too long.

Anthony is a 6-foot, 9-inch power forward playing out of position at center against a league of giants due to extreme offensive deficiencies. He is perhaps the single worst offensive player in game today. His inability to catch the basketball invites double teams toward his more talented teammates. When he does catch it, he’s often utterly confused as to what to do with it.

Even more troubling is how shockingly poor he is at rebounding. He seems to lack both the instincts for finding the ball and the coordination to grab it when comes his way. 

Heat president Pat Riley defended the contract shortly after it was executed:

This contract with Joel Anthony is a testament to the man who is second to none; who has worked hard and deserved this. We felt that what he has done over the last couple of years in developing his game, his body and his knowledge warrants this reward.

Riley got a little emotional on this one.

I’m all for rewarding effort, but not at the expense of improving your basketball team. And certainly not under what will undoubtedly be a much more restrictive, and taxing, salary cap environment to come. In such an environment, the rule of thumb is simple: pay only what you must to retain the talent you want.

Anthony began the off-season by opting out of the second season on his minimum salary contract in order to test his value on the free agent market. Weeks went by. No inquiries. Nobody was interested. He is, quite simply, worth the minimum salary contract he opted out of.

The Heat could therefore have chosen to offer a minimum salary contract. They didn’t.

Some are suggesting that Joel’s contract has been structured to be a future trade chip, after his BYC status expires at the end of the season. Not true. If that were the case, salary cap guru Andy Elisburg could have (or should have) done a much better job. He could have, for example, offered a much more palatable three-year deal, with a higher starting salary that declined by the maximum 10.5% per year.  There’s nothing better for a receiving team than a contract that actually declines in value in future seasons.

It’s certainly good to have Joel on board. But there’s really no excuse for the ridiculous contract that was offered to get him.

Joel’s new frontcourt teammate Dexter Pittman, the No. 32 pick in last month’s draft, was signed to a three-year minimum salary deal. The second year is fully unguaranteed, becoming 10% guaranteed if he is not waived on or before June 30, 2011, 80% guaranteed if he is not waived on or before July 25, 2011, and fully guaranteed on opening night. The final year is fully unguaranteed, becoming fully guaranteed on June 30, 2012.

With limited roster spots remaining, such an early commitment to Pittman is also questionable.

Pittman has the offensive repertoire Joel lacks, with a nice touch around the basket, and has the potential to be a solid contributor if he can get his weight issues in check. But he is still very raw, and the Heat organization seems to always have an overriding aversion to giving its youngsters significant NBA-level playing time with which to develop.

With Joel now under contract and Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Jamaal Magloire set to climb on board shortly, it seems likely that Pittman will head northwest to frigid South Dakota once the season starts, where he figures to spend a significant portion of the season developing with the Heat’s Sioux Falls Skyforce D-League affiliate.

Riley has already hinted as much.

Dexter has the size and agility to be a very productive player for us in the long run, and there is no better place for him to improve than in the Miami Heat system.

If Pittman does not find his way into the Heat’s rotation, questions could certainly be asked as to why he was given a roster spot  so early into the offseason. It remains to be seen just how valuable that final roster spot will become.

There were certainly other options.

Riley could have elected to analyze Pittman’s potential over the course of the preseason before offering a contract (provided that a required tender were extended prior to September 5th). Or he could have chosen to save the roster spot and allow Dexter to develop for a season unaffiliated with the Heat while still retaining draft his rights.

With four centers (Anthony, Ilgauskus, Magloire and Pittman) and three power forwards (Bosh, Haslem and Howard) soon to be under contract, it is likely the Heat’s power rotation, barring any unforeseen circumstances, is now complete.

Score these two Riley signings in the questionable pile.